FEATURES SPORTSFEATURES

Sixty percent of 125 people polled on campus by the DAILY EGYPTIAN on Monday said marijuana should be legalized. A bill to legalize the use of medicinal marijuana in Illinois passed

through the Senate in May 2009 and is now under House review. If passed, Illinois would join the District of Columbia and 14 other states in the legalization of medicinal marijuana.

Illinois eyes California’s marijuana propositionLAUREN LEONEDaily Egyptian

JULIE SWENSONDaily Egyptian

PHOTO ILLISTRATION BY DAN DWYER | DAILY EGYPTIAN

In these troubling times, Vickie Devenport said she hopes the “God in America” PBS series enlightens Americans whether they’re reli-gious or not.

Devenport, WSIU Public Broadcasting’s outreach coordina-tor, gave an introduction before a free sneak peek of the hour-long episode “A New Eden,” part two of the six-part TV series hosted by WSIU and the Carbondale Inter-faith Council, Monday at St. Fran-cis Xavier Catholic Church.

“� is is a challenging time. Lots of things are happening," De-venport said. "(� is series) takes a

look at (America) from an unbiased viewpoint historically.”

� e episodes cover America’s re-ligious background from before the dra� ing of the Constitution to the present, and is sourced from his-torians, letters, historical texts and sermons.

“A New Eden” highlighted lit-tle-known historical facts such as colony-supported religions given priority before the dra� ing of the

Constitution and � omas Je� erson’s advocacy on behalf of Baptists to publically preach their faith despite disagreeing with what he saw as the irrationality of religion itself.

A� er the screening, panelists Fa-ther Bob Flannery, Rev. Bill Sasso and Mike Batinski said they appre-ciated the coverage of religious con-� ict throughout history and how it created a more diverse America.

Sasso, a minister at Carbondale

Unitarian Fellowship, said every time he watched the segment he had something new to say about it.

“We have a history of an experi-ment in religious freedom, and our challenge is to recognize that it's not always an easy thing to do,” Sasso said. “� is is something that has been a challenge throughout our society.”

Flannery, a pastor at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church and presi-dent of the Interfaith Council in Carbondale, said Christians have to be tolerant of other religions and the resulting diversity is one of Ameri-ca's strengths.

“We can’t consider ourselves the only religion, and we have to allow equal participation,” Flannery said. “We need to be welcoming and real-

ize that our nation was founded so that all people would have the free-dom to worship, or not to worship, but at least they were free to do that.”

Mike Batinski, a retired history professor, also emphasized the mes-sage of not only religious tolerance, but cultural acceptance.

“We see that there are people who are written out of the equation because we think that they aren’t truly loyal to the United States,” Ba-tinski said.

Gaia House Interfaith Center Di-rector Maurine Pyle said she hopes the series brings light to religious is-sues faced in the past and the present.

Please see AMERICA | 2

W e see that there are people who are written out of the equation because we think that they aren’t truly loyal

to the United States. — Mike Batinski

retired history professor

‘God in America’ focuses on history, clash of religions

David Yepsen says California is known for setting political trends in the United States, and that may be the the case again if the state passes Proposition 19, which would legalize marijuana.

“� ings that happen there will of-ten times come this way,” Yepsen said Wednesday.

Yepsen, director for the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute, said he believes legalizing marijuana in Illinois would be a gradual change, starting with the legalization of medicinal marijuana. � e medicinal use of marijuana is al-ready legal in the District of Columbia and 14 other states, including Califor-nia, Montana and New Jersey.

If passed, a proposition on the Nov. 2 ballot in California would allow peo-ple 21 years old or older to possess or transport up to one ounce of marijuana for personal use or cultivate a 25-square -foot plot in a non-public place.

� e proposition would permit lo-cal government to regulate and tax commercial production and sale of marijuana while "prohibiting people from possessing marijuana on school grounds, using it in public, smoking it while minors are present, or provid-ing it to anyone under 21 years old," according to California's Secretary of State's website.

� e Daily Egyptian surveyed 125 people on campus Monday about the legalization of marijuana. People were surveyed in or around the Student Cen-ter, Northwest Annex, the College of Business, the Lesar Law Building, Mor-ris Library, Lawson Hall, Faner Hall and the Illinois Avenue pedestrian bridge.

Sixty percent of the people in the Daily Egyptian's non-scienti® c sur-vey said marijuana should be legalized,

16 percent were neutral and 24 percent were against legalizing marijuana.

According to a 2010 study by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, the national average shows 41 percent of Americans favor legal-izing marijuana. Twenty years ago, only 16 percent said the use of mari-juana should be legal, according to the study. Fi� y-eight percent of people 30

years old or younger believe marijuana should be legal.

Nearly three quarters of Americans favor their state allowing the sale and use of marijuana for medical purposes if prescribed by a doctor, according to the study.

“(Legalizing medical marijuana) may clarify federal and state laws and how the government would regulate

it,” Yepsen said. “And then, perhaps, people will ® nd they are comfortable with it or not.”

John Clemons, lecturer for the de-partment of criminology and criminal justice, said he opposes legalizing mari-juana even for medicinal purposes.

“(In California) anybody could get it if you can ® nd someone to write you a prescription,” he said. “It would

be totally abused.”A bill to legalize the use of medical

marijuana in Illinois passed through the Senate in May 2009 and is now under House review, said Dan Linn, Illinois executive director of National Organization for the Reform of Mari-juana Laws.

Please see MARIJUANA | 3

Daily Egyptian News � ursday, October 14, 20102

About Us� e Daily Egyptian is published by the students of South-

ern Illinois University Carbondale 50 weeks per year, with an average daily circulation of 20,000. Fall and spring semester editions run Monday through Friday. Summer editions run Tuesday through � ursday. All intersession editions will run on Wednesdays. Spring break and � anksgiving editions are distributed on Mondays of the pertaining weeks. Free copies are distributed in the Carbondale, Murphysboro and Carter-ville communities. � e Daily Egyptian online publication can be found at www.dailyegyptian.com.

Publishing Information� e Daily Egyptian is published by the students of

Southern Illinois University Carbondale. O� ces are in the Communications Building, Room 1259, at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Carbondale, IL 62901. Bill Freivogel, � scal o� cer.

Copyright Information© 2010 Daily Egyptian. All rights reserved. All content

is property of the Daily Egyptian and may not be repro-duced or transmitted without consent. � e Daily Egyptian is a member of the Illinois College Press Association, Associ-ated Collegiate Press and College Media Advisers Inc.

Mission Statement� e Daily Egyptian, the student-run newspaper of

Southern Illinois University Carbondale, is committed to being a trusted source of news, information, commentary and public discourse, while helping readers understand the issues a� ecting their lives.

Reaching Us Phone: (618) 536-3311

Fax: (618) 453-3248E-mail: editor@dailyegyptian.com

The Weather Channel® 5 day weather forecast for Carbondale, Ill.

Today

0% chance of precipitation

Friday Saturday Sunday

0% chance of precipitation

Monday

10% chance of precipitation

72°44°

71°38°

72°41°

79°47°

78°47°

0% chance of precipitation

10% chance of precipitation

Editor-in-Chief:Lindsey Smith ........................ ext. 252Managing Editor:Julie Swenson ......................... ext. 253 Campus Editor:Ryan Voyles ............................ ext. 254City Editor:Christina Spakousky .............. ext. 263Sports Editor:Nick Johnson ........................... ext. 256Features Editor:Ryan Simonin ......................... ext. 273Voices Editor:Brandy Simmons .................... ext. 281Photo Editor:Jess Vermeulen ....................... ext. 270Design Desk: J.J. Plummer ............................ ext. 248Web Desk: ............................... ext. 257Advertising Manager: Andrew Disper ....................... ext. 230Business O� ce:Brandi Harris .......................... ext. 223Ad Production Manager:Nick Schloz ............................. ext. 244Business & Ad Director:Jerry Bush ................................. ext. 229Faculty Managing Editor:Eric Fidler ................................ ext. 247Printshop Superintendent:Blake Mulholland ................... ext. 241

"(� e series) shows a lot of the ten-sions and con« ict that underlie our culture, and I think the more we study history the more we can begin to un-derstand why we behave the way we do today," Pyle said. "� ere has been a lot of progress, but there's still a lot to do."

Catherine Brekus, an American reli-gious teacher at the University of Chica-go Divinity School who was interviewed for "A New Eden," said in the episode

constitutionally-guaranteed religious freedom is a large part of American culture, but at the same it time bothers Americans.

“Freedom can be quite dangerous. I think Americans are wedded to the idea of freedom and nervous about where it can lead,” she said.

Sasso said religion should bring members of the community together despite how it guides individuals socially and politically.

"As this points out, we struggle and we learn, and we are still learning,” Sasso

said. “We've been here for 225 years or something, and it's not � nished yet by any means. (� ere is) a lot more for us to work out.”

Sasso echoes the hope panelists said they want the episodes to accomplish.

“I would hope that it causes people to re« ect on where they are situated and how their religion in« uences their lives and informs the values they try to make present in their lives,” Sasso said. “I hope it would lead all of us to examine that.”

� e episodes can be viewed at www.pbs.org/godinamerica.

AMERICACONTINUED FROM 1

Daily EgyptianNews� ursday, October 14, 2010 3

Jonathan Hughes, a senior from Carbondale studying theater, said Spring Awakening, a controversial Broadway musical, blends a play with modern rock music, and dem-onstrates how little life has changed for adolescents in the past century.

� e show, which will take place at 7:30 p.m. today in Shryock Au-ditorium, was written in 1891 by the German playwright Frank We-dekind and features the trials of puberty through the eyes of teenag-ers in a society where sex is taboo. Hughes said the characters endure traumatic experiences ranging from

incest to suicide.Bryan Rives, director of SIU

event services, said the show is con-sidered to contain mature subject matters.

“� e show itself has been con-troversial ever since the play was � rst written,” he said. “It was banned for a while.”

Hughes said the show amps up controversies to increase the drama of situations and make them trans-late better to a modern audience such as the inclusion of nudity, he said

“I think, or I should maybe say hope, that (SIU) will react pretty favorably to it,” Hughes said. “I feel like SIU is a really good environ-

ment for stu¡ like this. ... I feel that people do really appreciate the hon-esty and the reality that something like this presents.”

Carbondale is the � rst stop on the national tour, Rives said. Al-though the cast usually arrives the day of the performance, Rives said they arrived early to account for any unexpected situations.

“We’re always happy when we can bring these national Broadway touring productions in,” Rives said.

Although Rives and Hughes said they are excited for the per-formance, Seth Kohlhaas said he remains apprehensive.

Kohlhaas, production manager and technical director of SIU event

services, said he faced challenges in bringing Awakening to Shryock, including the smaller stage size and it being the � rst stop on the Awakening tour.

� e stage is signi� cantly smaller than some, and Awakening has to account for stage size in the perfor-mance, Kohlhaas said. He said he also encountered problems getting information about production lay-out from Awakening’s producers.

Hughes said he is most excited about sitting on stage during the performance. Spring Awakening will have 20 to 30 audience mem-bers on stage to create a feeling of community. He said tickets for these seats were available on a � rst-

come, � rst-served basis.Hughes said some cast mem-

bers, called plants, will sit with the on-stage audience. � is develops the idea that the situations por-trayed in the musical could apply to anyone, Hughes said.

Hughes said he thinks this helps the audience realize how realistic the show is and how the situation applies to adolescents.

“We can’t neglect kids the way that these people do and the way that we do today even,” Hughes said. “I like that.”

Cheyenne Adams can be reached at cadams@dailyegyptian.com

or 536-3311 ext. 281.

‘Spring Awakening’ to bring 100-year-old controversies to SIUCHEYENNE ADAMSDaily Egyptian

� e Compassionate Use of Medi-cal Cannabis Pilot Program Act would legalize the use of medicinal mari-juana in Illinois, Linn said. He said the bill is stricter than laws in other states, including California, which legalized medicinal marijuana in 1996.

Chris Fralish, coordinator of the Al-cohol and Other Drugs Program at the SIUC Wellness Center, said as a drug counselor, he would like to see multiple changes in federal and state policies relating to the war on drugs. He said incarcerating individuals for marijuana use without treatment is not e¡ ective.

He said he believes every individual has di¡ erent reasons, some more valid than others, for being for or against the legalization marijuana.

“� ere has to be a balance looking at the issue,” he said. “It has to be seen through multiple lenses to answer the question of whether or not we legalize it.”

He said it is his job as a substance abuse counselor to be aware of the risk for substance abuse in each individual.

“Each person has a di¡ erent thresh-old for addiction,” Fralish said. “But we’ll probably see an increase in addiction because of the increase of access (if it be-comes legalized).”

He said he has seen patients with marijuana withdrawal, though it is not as intense as controlled substance abuse withdrawal such as cocaine or meth-amphetamine. � ere is a di¡ erence be-tween a psychological dependency and physical addiction to a drug, and both can happen with long-term marijuana use, Fralish said.

He said treating someone with an

addiction would be more di« cult if it were legalized without wide-spread treatment facilities in place.

Linn said cannabis prohibition is a failed policy that has not successfully deterred use of marijuana. He said there is a large segment of the population who should not be considered criminals for growing, cultivating or distributing marijuana.

“It makes criminals out of otherwise law-abiding citizens,” he said. “� ere is no record of someone dying from a marijuana overdose, yet it's still seen as a dangerous substance.”

� e U.S. federal government spent more than $19 billion dollars in 2003 on the War on Drugs, at a rate of about $600 per second, according to the O« ce of National Drug Control Policy. � e War on Drugs initiative, including a set of drug-related policies, began with the

Controlled Substance Act of 1970.� ere were 48,861 cannabis arrests

in Illinois in 2004, compared to the 48,754 arrests for all other controlled substances, according to the policy.

Linn said money is wasted on the arrest and the possible incarceration of people who use marijuana. He said it costs $20,000 to $35,000 per year to incarcerate one person for one year de-pending on the severity of the crime.

He said the criminal justice system would save money by not enforcing the policy and exhausting their resources by arresting nearly the same amount of people for marijuana as other controlled substances.

Clemons said he disagrees with the argument that legalizing marijuana would li± Illinois out of its � nancial crisis.

“It’s ridiculous. Why don’t we sell as-

sault ri² es on the street?” he said. “You don’t do bad things to generate funds for the federal government.”

He said he believes Illinois should re-duce penalties for possessing marijuana and not use incarceration as the solution but he said he is against the decriminal-ization or legalization of marijuana in Illinois.

Clemons said the government should not legalize marijuana as a means to cut costs within the criminal justice system.

Linn said with California voting on Proposition 19 Nov. 2, he believes Illi-nois will soon follow suit.

“At this point, we're in such a � nan-cial crisis. � e state would be making money from some type of tax for the legal distribution of it,” he said. “So it's a win-win economically for the state and local governments of Illinois.”

MARIJUANACONTINUED FROM 1

Daily Egyptian Feature � ursday, October 14, 20104

FRIDAY SATURDAYPinch Penny Pub: 10:30 p.m. Trippin Billies (Dave Matthews Tribute)

Key West: 9 p.m. King Juba

Tres Hombres: 10 p.m. The Black 40’s, Belle Hooks & Nasty Nate

PK’s: 9:30 p.m. Raw Flesh Eaters

Pinch Penny Pub: 10:30 p.m. FunkyMonks (Red Hot Chili Peppers Tribute)

Tres Hombres: 9 p.m. Backyard Tire Fire

Key West: 9 p.m. King Juba

PK’s: 9:30 p.m. Elsinore

Pinch Penny Pub: 8 p.m. Cornmealw/ Spare Parts

Key West: 9 p.m. Craig RobertsBlues Band

SUNDAY

� e

Dup

lex

HoroscopesBy Nancy Black and Stephanie Clement

(Answers tomorrow)EXACT JUMBO FLORID BASKETYesterday’s Jumbles:

Answer: When he worked in the horse barn, it was a — “STABLE” JOB

Now arrange the circled letters to form the surprise answer, assuggested by the above cartoon.

THAT SCRAMBLED WORD GAMEby Mike Argirion and Jeff Knurek

Unscramble these four Jumbles,one letter to each square,to form four ordinary words.

WOGAL

CUVOH

ABNERN

BUSUDE

©2010 Tribune Media Services, Inc.All Rights Reserved.

NEW

BIB

LE J

umbl

e Bo

oks

Go

To: h

ttp://

ww

w.ty

ndal

e.co

m/ju

mbl

e/

”“Ans:

Complete the grid so each row, column and 3-by-3 box (in bold boarders) contains every digit 1 to 9. For strategies

on how to solve Sudoku, visitwww.sudoku.org.uk. © 2010 The Mepham Group. Distributed by

Tribune Media Services. All rights reserved.

Today’s birthday — Communication issues take priority in the coming months as you grapple with multiple opportunities. Seek love and you find it, possibly very close to home. Use all your talents to create lasting relationships, whether romantic or professional.

Aries (March 21 - April 19) — Today is a 6 — Power has been building for several days. Today you get a sense of how to use it for your advantage. Don’t shy away from an emotional response. Be honest.

Taurus (April 20 - May 20) — Today is a 7 — Think bigger than you did yesterday. Your idea may carry you into the larger workplace, with flair. Dress up your work for a larger audience.

Gemini (May 21 - June 21) — Today is a 7 — Recent creative efforts now produce unusual opportunities for change. Take a practical view of multiple alternatives, and then take charge of the direction.

Cancer (June 22 - July 22) — Today is a 6 — Your partner or associate has lots of ideas that you can grab on to now. Choose a task that feels comfortable. Later you’ll see the bright finish line.

Leo (July 23 - Aug. 22) — Today is a 8 — A strong leader steps onstage and directs the practical effort now. In the process, you perceive more opportunities to create the desired changes. Take action.

Virgo (Aug. 23 - Sept. 22) — Today is a 7 — Use your powers of persuasion to gather everyone for a playful day. Leave serious thinking behind, and get out in nature. Discover a wonderful tree.

Libra (Sept. 23 - Oct. 22) — Today is a 6 — Gather everyone together around the kitchen table to present today’s options. There’s a lot to get done, but plenty of time and willing hands to help.

Scorpio (Oct. 23 - Nov. 21) — Today is a 6 — Recent activities prove most effective in conveying your passion. Now you shift from your typical assertive style toward greater optimism.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22 - Dec. 21) — Today is a 8 — You see a way to earn more income now. Feel your way through the process of shifting gears to make time for this new idea. Others will share your enthusiasm.

Capricorn (Dec. 22 - Jan. 19) — Today is a 6 — Use your considerable powers to get everything ready early. Today has the potential for a memorable social event. Delegate responsibility for the food.

Aquarius (Jan. 20 - Feb. 18) — Today is a 9 — Females take the upper hand by planning in secret. They have great ideas. You’re surprised and pleased when they play their cards. It works for everyone.

Pisces (Feb. 19 - March 20) — Today is a 6 — Group effort accomplishes far more than you expect. Get everyone together early, and promise goodies when the work is done. Manage someone’s feelings privately.

Wednesday’sAnswers

ACROSS1 *Hip-hopper who

married Beyoncé(German)

5 Sturdy fabric10 Delhi wrap14 Movie apiarist15 Like sandalwood

leaves16 Green Zone site17 Gets into18 Brewers’ kilns19 Things you saw

while out?20 *Old stories

(English)23 “Paris, je t’__”:

2006 film24 Charged particle25 Nashville awards

gp.28 *Inferred cosmic

substance(Russian)

33 Mythological ride35 Derisive cry36 Pivotal part38 Bug, perhaps39 Hottie40 Easternmost state41 “Don’t touch

that __!”42 Body art, in slang43 High-speed

raptor44 *Séance device

(French)47 Former World

No. 1 tennisplayer Ivanovic

48 With 6-Down,one in fear of anaudit

49 “Dagnabit!”51 *Fatal problem in

Genesis(Spanish)

58 Colombianeighbor

59 Funnel-shaped60 Architect Mies

van der __61 Animal shelter62 Gather63 Intuited64 About65 Greet

respectfully66 Parliamentary

votes, or whatappears at thestarts of theanswers tostarred clues

DOWN1 Kids’ author

Blume2 Succulent plant3 Dieters may fight

them4 Keebler cracker5 Pushover6 See 48-Across7 Org. with rovers8 __-bitty9 Handel bars?

10 ’20s WhiteHousenickname

11 ... ducks in __12 Poverty, in

metaphor13 Brightness nos.21 Down source22 “Kidding!”25 Included in the

e-mail chain26 Video game

plumber27 Pianist Claudio29 Honshu city30 Top limit31 Actress

Durance whoplays Lois on“Smallville”

32 Bad sentence34 Former Kremlin

policymaker

37 TV princess39 Terrif40 Former sketch

comedy thatused Don Martincartoons

42 Hailed ride43 “I wish ‘twere

otherwise”45 Airline to 29-

Down46 Slap the cuffs

on

50 Like a bitingremark, in Britishslang

51 Burn slightly52 Novelist

Murdoch53 Pitcher Hideo54 Chew55 Unaccompanied56 Flightless bird57 Trees used to

make longbows58 Abbas’s gp.

Wednesday’s Puzzle SolvedBy Matt Matera 10/14/10

(c)2010 Tribune Media Services, Inc. 10/14/10

Level: 1 2 3 4

Daily EgyptianStudy Break� ursday, October 14, 2010 5

Daily Egyptian Classifieds � ursday, October 14, 20106

Many basketball fans who play games such as the NBA2K series, which has been around since 2000, may have missed Jordan’s 15-year playing career, which spanned from 1984 to 2003 with four years of retirement in between, or may have only seen the end of it.

Now they get to witness history as they accomplish the feats themselves. As a gamer and a fan who was 10- years-old when Jordan and the Bulls won the � rst championship of the

second three-peat in 1996, this game is acceptable as the universal gi� for all my birthdays and every Christmas for the rest of my existence. I don’t need anything else, except my front room, with the television and couch, to be extremely quiet as MJ and I dominate Larry Bird, Isiah � omas, Patrick Ewing, Gary Payton and Karl Malone.

� is game is going to be the best-selling basketball game of all-time until Jordan makes part two. � e Jordan mode brings back not only the best player in NBA history, but one of the best eras as well. Besides the Jordan mode, the game play is near � awless

and each player, including Jordan, has the signature moves that have made him a star or a celebrated role player.

If this game does sell well and articles such as the one in Game Informer Magazine continue to congratulate Visual Conceptions, then NBA2K will probably continue the legend challenge mode. Who will be next: Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Charles Barkley or Scottie Pippen?

Brandon LaChance can be reached at blachance@dailyegyptian.com

or 536-3311 ext. 282.

COLUMNCONTINUED FROM 8

Daily EgyptianSports� ursday, October 14, 2010 7TWINSCONTINUED FROM 8

(From left to right) Mitchell, Haley, Cassie and Ashleigh Rushing spend time with their mom, Carol Rushing, and dad, Darron Rushing, on Tuesday at their home in Marion. Cassie and Ashleigh Rushing are identical twins who play golf as freshmen at SIU, while their siblings Mitchell and Haley are also twins and are in eighth grade.

STEVE BERCZYNSKI | DAILY EGYPTIAN

Senior Dan Dunbar, the reigning MVC cross country athlete of the week, said team depth makes SIU the favorite at the invite.

“If we didn’t win it would be a big disappointment for us,” Dunbar said.

Junior Jamie P� ster said racing against other conference runners at Bradley should help give the Salukis a better idea of who they need to work to beat at the conference championship Oct. 30.

“I don’t have speci� c people I try to beat (but) it’ll be good running against them, just to see who will be around at conference,” P� ster said.

Sparks said seniors Emily Toennies and Megan Hoelscher look to � nish in the top ten in Peoria to qualify for the All-Conference team, as they will compete against some of the top women in conference.

“You always have in the back of your mind (that) Bradley is going to be very similar to the conference race,” Hoelscher said.

Hoelscher, who � nished sixth in the 2009 Bradley Classic, said she expects herself and Toennies to excel above their conference competition because of their experience.

P� ster said she has trained to the point where she should be able to cut the time between herself and Toennies and Hoelscher.

� e women’s team ran mile repeats to increase their acceleration at the start of races, P� ster said.

“I usually do one less than all the other girls to save my legs,” P� ster said. “� is week I did four with them.”

Junior Kristian Baldwin and sophomore Kelsey Kaiser will continue to compete for the � � h runner’s spot on the women’s team, Sparks said. Baldwin and Kaiser progressed tremendously during the

two weeks of training a� er the Greater Louisville Classic.

Dunbar said fellow men’s captain Kyle Kirchner is in better shape to compete a� er not � nishing as strong as expected in Louisville. Kirchner was burned out from training, he said.

“We run so much you’ll have a week or two where your body is completely worn down,” Dunbar said. “Now (Kyle’s) body has come back out of that cycle and he should be right there with Neal and me for most of the race.”

Dunbar said the Salukis will be able to relax the � rst two miles of their race as opposed to sprinting the � rst two miles like they had to do in Louisville.

“Bradley is a lot easier meet than Louisville. It’s going to be a good chance for me and Neal to sit back with the leaders of the group early in the race and then try to take the lead and win toward the end of the race,” Dunbar said.

CROSS COUNTRYCONTINUED FROM 8

All of the Rushing siblings have been involved in sports and have tried to involve each other, whether it is learning the game or cheering, Darron Rushing said.

Cassie and Ashleigh Rushing have played golf on a competitive level since they were 8-years-old but have also played volleyball, so� ball and basketball, the sport Haley now plays in eighth grade. Mitchell hasn’t played sports in school but skateboards and has played baseball for the Marion youth city league.

As they’ve gotten older, busy schedules make it di° cult to attend all of the sporting events they’re involved in or for the siblings to play sports together, but they do when they can, Cassie Rushing said.

Rushing said she is focused on becoming a golfer in the LPGA while Ashleigh Rushing said she is waiting to see what the future

brings. Haley, who has played sports since she was in � rst grade, wants to continue to play throughout high school and eventually through

college, she said. Mitchell, who has skateboarded for four years, has no sporting plans for the future so far, he said.

BANTER

CROSS COUNTRY

WOMEN’S GOLF

STAFF COLUMN

BRANDONLACHANCE

withwithhCCHCBrandonandonLaChance

� e greatest basketball player of all time has made his grand re-turn to the virtual world, as he graces the cover of NBA 2K11. Yes, Michael

Jordan is back.Not only does he grace the cover,

but game developer Visual Concepts has given the legend his own play mode called the “Jordan Challenge,” where

gamers can relive 10 performances that made MJ the best ever including the playo� game against the Boston Celtics where he scored 63 points and “the last shot” he hit against the Utah Jazz to win the sixth championship for the Chicago Bulls. Jordan coming back to the video game scene is huge for gamers and basketball fans.

Jordan has been in 24 video games, including two non-basketball games, Space Jam and Michael Jordan: Chaos in the Windy City. He was never in

NBA Jam, where His Airness was much needed and was not involved in most of the early NBA Live games. Instead of having Jordan in those games, the Chicago Bulls had a shooting guard named Player 23 who didn’t have stats comparable to B.J. Armstrong, let alone Jordan.

Darren Rovell, CNBC sports business reporter, wrote that MJ’s video game absence wasn’t because of Jordan not wanting to share his talents with the virtual world, but because of

a licensing agreement between Jordan and the NBA that excluded him from the group licensing agreement between game producers and the league.

“Why bring Michael Jordan back now?” has been an ever-rising question. I thought Jordan being broke could be a possibility, a� er hearing the Ying Yang Twins were coming to perform on a Tuesday in Carbondale and tickets were only $12, until I remembered my two pairs of Air

Jordans and the Hanes commercials that featured Jordan during the Bears-Packers Monday Night Football game. He has plenty of money.

In Rovell’s article, vice president of marketing for 2K Sports Jason Argent said his sta� thought of who could market NBA 2K11 as the best video game ever made and Jordan was the � rst person who came to mind.

MJ makes grand return to basketball world ... virtually

Please see COLUMN | 7

BRANDON COLEMANDaily Egyptian

BRANDON LACHANCEDaily Egyptian

Salukis plan to runaway with win

Sports, twins a commonality in Rushing family

The men’s cross country team practices Wednesday on Tower Road. The Salukis will travel Friday to Peoria for the Bradley Classic, where they will race 20 other teams, six of which are Missouri Valley Conference teams.PAT SUTPHINDAILY EGYPTIAN

READER BANTER

Junior Neal Anderson said none of the six other Missouri Valley Conference teams competing Friday can challenge the Salukis.

� e men’s side plans to rebound from a disappointing sixth place � nish at the Greater Louisville Classic with a win Friday at the Bradley Classic in Peoria, Anderson said.

“As of now the only team that can challenge us is Indiana State and they’re not going to be there,” Anderson said.

� e Salukis will � nally be able to see how they stack up against conference opponents on both the men’s and women’s side, coach Matt Sparks said. Drake, Northern Iowa, Western Illinois, Bradley, Illinois State (men) and Indiana State (women) will compete against the Salukis on Friday, along with 20 Division 1 schools, including DePaul, Eastern Illinois, Northwestern, Saint Louis and Missouri.

Please see CROSS COUNTRY | 7

Having one set of twins is a rare occurrence; having two sets of twins is a blessing, Darron Rushing said.

Darron Rushing is the father of freshmen SIUC golfers and identical twins Cassie and Ashleigh Rushing, and they are the older sisters to Haley and Mitchell Rushing, a set of fraternal twins. All four Rushing children play sports and have friendly competitions between each other.

Rushing and his wife Carol Rushing said having two sets of twins has been a joy, but it has come with some di¦ culties.

When she was pregnant with her � rst set of twins, Rushing was put on bed rest for three months because the pregnancy was labeled high-risk. � is meant a month stay at Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, where the twins were born Feb. 25, 1992.

� e girls were a rare pregnancy called monoamniotic, which means the egg did not split until it had already formed a © uid sack, Rushing said. � e twins had to share all the food and space in the womb because it was only meant for one baby. A monoamniotic birth occurs only once out of every 35,000 to 60,000 pregnancies, according to pregnancy-info.net’s website.

� e Rushings were born at 32

weeks, two months premature, Rushing said.

“� e doctor said they were miracle babies,” she said.

Darron Rushing said the doctors in Carbondale recommended the hospital in St. Louis because of the high risk factor. � e twins had an entanglement and their vitals were stressed, he said. Within eight hours of noticing vital © uctuation the doctors decided it was time for the twins to be born, he said.

Mitchell and Haley Rushing didn’t give their parents the same problems, Carol Rushing said. When she � rst became pregnant, it was odd to call the baby ‘him’ or ‘her’ because they were

used to saying ‘them’ or ‘they’, she said. It wasn’t long before they found out her womb was holding babies.

“I went to the doctor and measured 11 weeks and (at) my next doctor’s trip a week later I measured 17 weeks,” Rushing said. “� e doctors said ‘OK,’ we need to � nd out what’s going on. � ey barely got the ultra sound paddle on my stomach and saw two heads.”

� e only surprising part was, because the girls were identical, it was thought the second set would also be identical, Rushing said.

On Aug. 7, 1997, Haley and Mitchell Rushing were born. Mitchell is the youngest sibling by 30 seconds.

Michelle Lazorchak, a high school

classmate to the older set of Rushing twins, said the family is understanding and easy to get along with. Lazorchak, a freshman at John A. Logan, played basketball with the Rushings in high school and has been a friend of theirs since, she said. She said it doesn’t matter what they’re doing, each Rushing is always invited to join the others.

“� e whole family is a very good, Christian family who just likes to have a good time, whether it’s having a movie night, at church or just hanging out,” Lazorchak said.

Please see TWINS | 7